The Sedona Method.pdf

The Insider’s Guide to the Sedona Method

THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO THE SEDONA METHOD Letting Go to Achieve Emotional Health and Mastery

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .......................................................................................................2 Frequently Asked Questions ...........................................................................3 Letting Go Basics..............................................................................................4 On Resistance ...................................................................................................6 The Secret of Letting Go of Fear and Anxiety................................................7 Releasing and Goals .........................................................................................9 A Powerful Way of Breaking the Habit of Overeating .................................12 What if All Your Problems Are Just Memories? ..........................................15 Gain Lasting Financial Security.....................................................................17 Your Key to Lasting, Loving and Health Relationships ..............................20 Letting Go of Guilt and Shame ......................................................................22 Stop Positive Thinking....................................................................................24 Holistic Releasing ...........................................................................................26 Lester Levenson, the Inspiration Behind the Sedona Method ...................28 The Next Step ..................................................................................................30

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copyright 2005 Sedona Training Associates


So, whether you choose to hold your feelings for the rest of your life or whether you choose to release them now—right now—is yours.

Introduction

If you want to let your feelings go and have all that you desire, the Sedona Method will teach you how…

IMAGINE YOUR LIFE . . . Take a brief moment and imagine your life exactly as you want it to be . . . right now:

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A new or improved relationship . . .

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Greater financial success . . .

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A body you love with all the energy you desire . . A life free of stress, anger, depression and any other feeling that leaves you feeling less than great . . .

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Freedom of the highest level, financially, emotionally, spiritually . . .

Tip: Many of the articles that comprise this guide are from a series of articles based on The Sedona Method that will give you a small taste of what you can expect from this unique and powerful program. These articles are designed to give you immediate benefit whether or not you ever decide to go any further. If you do go further, you will learn how to access your natural ability to let go of any unwanted feeling on the spot and free yourself to have all that your heart desires. If you would like to enjoy all the benefits of this powerful tool, I recommend you get your own copy of The Sedona Method Audio Course. Enjoy!

Yes, imagine that from this moment forward, you experience only happiness and joy in any given situation at least ninety percent of the time for the rest of your life. Now notice the feelings that arise for you . . . are they positive and optimistic that this is exactly what you will experience from this moment on? Or do you have heavy feelings and thoughts that say, "You don’t know my problems. My life stinks." or "You can’t help me. I can’t help myself. The best things in life always go to someone else." or "That’s just life. I’ve always felt this way and I probably always will." FACT: If you do not feel as happy, confident, and positive as you desire, in any situation, it is for one simple reason: you are literally holding feelings that prevent you from experiencing this.

THE GOOD NEWS IS HERE These feelings you have are just feelings. You can let these feelings go just as easily as you can let an object you are holding drop to the ground. Your feelings will only prevent you from having exactly what you want for as long as you choose to hold them.

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more often you apply the Method throughout your day, the more benefits you’ll receive from it. Releasing can be done anywhere and at any time to immediately feel better, clearer, more confident and alive.

Frequently Asked Questions “The Sedona Method is an extremely powerful tool that will support you in finding inner balance and emotional freedom. The technique supports you in quickly shifting your state of consciousness from one of stress and resistance to one of relaxation and allowance. I highly recommend it.” Debbie Ford, best-selling author of The Right Questions and The Secret of the Shadow

How long does it take to learn how to let go? That’s up to you. How quickly you’ll see results you can measure will depend upon how much you apply the Sedona Method in your everyday life. Letting go gets easier to do the more you do it. The results may start out subtly or they may be extremely profound.

You probably have some questions and concerns about ordering your Sedona Method course. And, we think that’s great. It is our opinion that you shouldn’t believe anything we say. We want you to experience the Sedona Method and prove it for yourself. Here are some frequently asked questions we receive that may help you to make an informed decision about choosing the Sedona Method program as the best investment that you can make in yourself right now.

How could something so seemingly ‘simple’ be so powerful? "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." – Albert Einstein The most powerful and useful tools in life are often the simplest. While this process is simple, the discoveries of Lester Levenson (the creator of the Sedona Method) that made it possible are brilliant. Many people consider Lester to be the Einstein of human development. That he was able to provide such a simple, powerful and brilliant process was his genius.

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How can one program promise to help me improve any area of my life?

What does it feel like to let go? The experience of letting go is highly individual. Most people feel an immediate sense of lightness or relaxation as they use the process. Others feel energy moving through their bodies as though they are coming back to life. In addition to physical changes, you’ll notice your mind is getting progressively quieter and clearer. You will perceive more solutions than problems. Over time, your experience of releasing may even feel positively blissful.

If any area of your life is less than what you want it to be, the core cause is unwanted, uncomfortable, or limiting feelings. These could be feelings of mistrust in relationships that prevent true feelings of happiness and love, or feelings of fear and anxiety that prevent you from taking bold action to move your career forward and produce the financial results you desire. All actions you choose to take in your life—or actions you choose not to take—produce the results that make up the life you are now experiencing. These actions, or inactions, are motivated by feelings. If you want to change your results, you must begin by addressing and releasing the feelings that cause you to take the actions you do or that prevent you from taking the actions you should take or that you want to take.

How do I know the Sedona Method will work for me? We believe the Sedona Method can work for anyone; but we also know the only way you will ever know for sure is to experience it for yourself. That is why we offer a 45-day full-refund period for you to use the course in your life. With over 100,000 satisfied graduates of the Sedona Method course worldwide, we are confident you will gain everything we have suggested you will gain—and more. We guarantee it.

How often should I release? Releasing is one good thing you can’t overdo. The www.sedona.com

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Now, let the object go.

Letting Go Basics

What happened? You let go of the object and it dropped to the floor.

"The Sedona Method is an extremely powerful tool for emotional freedom and wellness. I highly recommend it!" Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the #1 New York Times best-selling series Chicken Soup for the Soul and co-author of The One-Minute Millionaire

Was that hard? Of course not! That's what we mean when we say "let go." You can do the same thing with any feeling.

The following is a short excerpt from the workbook that comes with The Sedona Method Audio Course. If you follow these simple instructions, you will get a small taste of what the Sedona Method Course is all about.

Sticking with the same analogy, if you walked around with your hand open, it would be very difficult to hold onto the pen. When you allow or welcome a feeling, you are opening your consciousness— and this allows the feeling to drop away all by itself. Like the clouds passing in the sky. Keep this analogy in mind as we go through the process together.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY 'LETTING GO'? We teach three ways to "release" or "let go" of unwanted feelings in The Sedona Method Audio Course. The first way is to choose to let go of the unwanted feeling. Do not be fooled by the simplicity of this process. It is a powerful, effective and portable process that you can use anytime, anywhere.

The following description is designed to help you use this process on your own. This process will really shine as you use it in life when you need it the most. In fact, you will find that in order to get the maximum benefit from this course, it is very helpful to practice this process in life whenever possible. The more you use it, the more you will get out of it.

Let us explain. Pick up a pen, a pencil, or some small object that you would be willing to drop without giving it a second thought.

CHOOSING TO LET GO Step One:

Now, hold it in front of you and really grip it tightly . . . Pretend that the object is one of your limiting feelings and that your hand represents your gut or your consciousness. Now open your hand and roll the object around in your hand. Notice that you are the one holding onto it and it is not attached to your hand. This is true with your feelings, too. Your feelings are as attached to you as this object is attached to your hand.

Focus on your issue and then allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling in this moment. This may seem simplistic, but it needs to be. Most of us live in our thoughts about the past and the future rather than being aware of how we actually feel in this moment. The only time that we can actually do anything about the way we feel (and, for that matter, about our business or our life) is NOW. You don't need to wait for a feeling to be strong before you let it go. In fact, if you are feeling numb, flat, blank, cut off or empty inside, these are feelings that can be let go of just as easily as the more recognizable ones. Just do the best you can. The more you work with this process, the easier it will be for you to identify what you are feeling.

We hold onto our feelings and forget that we are holding onto them. It's even in our language. We don't usually say, "I feel angry or I feel sad." We say, "I am angry or I am sad." Without realizing it, we are saying that we ARE the feeling. We often feel that the feeling is holding onto us. This is not true. We are always in control...but we don't know it.

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Step Two: Ask yourself the following question: "Could I let this feeling go?" 4



particular topic. However, what you let go of is gone for good.

This question is merely asking you if it is possible to take this action. "Yes" or "no" are both acceptable answers. You will often let go, even if you say "no."

Important Reminder: As best you can, answer the question with a minimum of thought, staying away from secondguessing yourself or getting into a debate with yourself about the merits of this action or its consequences. All the questions used in this process are deliberately simple. They are not important in and of themselves, but are designed to point you to the experience of letting go. Go on to step three no matter how you answer this first question.

Please remember that these questions are purposely simple. As you work with these questions repeatedly you will find that even if there is some initial resistance to the repetition of these questions, their simplicity will grow on you . . . making it easy to incorporate releasing into your life. These questions are just the first step in the process of letting go. We will develop this process further, together, as the course unfolds. Also, you will not fully appreciate how easy and powerful releasing can be until you have given yourself some time to use it in your life.

Step Three: Now ask yourself this simple question: "Would I?" In other words "Am I willing to?" Again stay away from debate. Also remember that you are always doing this process for yourself, for the purpose of gaining your own freedom and clarity. It doesn't matter whether the feeling is justified, long-standing or right. If the answer is "no," or if you are not sure, ask yourself, "Would I rather have this feeling or would I rather be free?" As long as you choose the feeling over being free (which is okay), the feeling controls you and your ability to be, do and have what you want. Step Four: Ask yourself this simple question: "When?" This is an invitation to just do it now. You may find yourself easily letting go of the feeling, permanently, now. Or you may choose to hold the feeling for the next three years, two months and a day. It is your choice to hold this feeling for as long as you desire. If you decide to let it go now, you can! Step Five: Repeat the preceding four steps as often as needed until you feel free of the feeling. You will probably find yourself letting go a little on each step of the process. The results at first may be quite subtle, but very quickly, if you are persistent, the results will get more and more noticeable. You may find that you have layers of feelings about a

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On Resistance

greater than the force that you're exerting when you're trying to get something to happen.

Have you ever started a project really gung ho and lost enthusiasm somewhere in the middle? That's resistance. Resistance is quite insidious. It's one of the main things that stops us from having, doing, and being what we want in life.

Allow yourself to start noticing where resistance manifests in your life and, rather than resisting it, allow yourself to do something about it; learn to release it with the Sedona Method Course.

Tip: You can call to listen to a special

We resist, in fact, even the things we really like, the things we care about. Sometimes you can't even get yourself to go to the movies when you want to go because resistance comes up.

prerecorded guided releasing session. This recording will give you a taste of what you can achieve by learning the Sedona Method. This recording is free except for the actual cost of the call. This releasing message is available 24 hours a day, so call as many times as you would like. Dial 405-244-4000 and enter extension 354.

And if someone tells you to do something, that's a sure-fired way resistance is going to come up even if you want to do it. I remember as a child growing up that I used to hate when my mother would tell me to do something I wanted to do because then I didn't want to do it anymore. When someone tells you that you should do something or you have to do something, what do you feel inside? "No way! Don't tell me what to do!" The same thing happens when you tell yourself what to do. If you say to yourself, "You have to stop smoking," what happens? "Oh, yeah?" Or, "You'd better not eat this anymore." You may eat even more. That's just the nature of the mind. It just doesn't like being told what to do. So resistance is operating all the time because we live in a sea of "shoulds" and "have to's" and "must do's" and imperatives. Any time there is an imperative, it stirs up resistance. Resistance manifests in many different ways, some subtle, such as forgetting things that are important to you. Or you'll just find yourself gradually moving away from things that are really helpful. Does this sound familiar? You're doing great and you're really enjoying something; you just think it's the best thing since sliced bread. And then three months later you're back to your old ways and you're bummed about yourself for it. What happened? You hit resistance. Resistance happens all the time in life. And sometimes it's extreme, such as not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. Any time you feel like you have to, or you should do something, or you must do it, you're hitting resistance. This is because the "should" creates an opposing force equal to or

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Now, could you let go of wanting that to happen? Or Could you let go of expecting this to happen?

The Secret of Letting Go of Fear and Anxiety

Once you’ve gotten over the shock of the fact that you somehow want a negative thing to happen, it’s often very easy to let go of the fear in this way, because, consciously, it’s not truly what you want.

“The Sedona Method is an effective tool for getting rid of the ‘victim’ mentality. Instead of giving away our power to others, Hale Dwoskin encourages us to look inside and take control of our own experiences of life. That's powerful!” Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., author of Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway and Embracing Uncertainty

If you get stuck on any particular fear and are having a hard time letting it go, simply switch back to using the regular releasing questions. Then go back to experimenting with this shortcut. Again, focus on something that you fear. It could be the same thing, or it could be something else. Notice exactly what it is that you’re afraid will happen. If you’re afraid of heights, for instance, underneath it there might really be a fear of falling.

WE ATTRACT WHATEVER WE ARE AFRAID OF One of the topics we explore in the Sedona Method course is that anything that we are afraid of happening, we actually have a subconscious desire for or expectation of happening. Based on this premise, you may find the following exploration helpful for releasing your reactions to what is going on in the world, and for releasing your fears in general.

Could you let go of wanting that to happen? Or Could you let go of expecting this to happen? Focus again on that same fear, or on something else that you do not want to have happen, on something that you worry about, or on something that makes you nervous. Maybe you have a fear of public speaking. This could include the fear of making a mistake, or of seeming like a fool in front of a roomful of people.

Make yourself comfortable and focus inwardly. Begin by bringing to mind something about which you feel afraid or anxious—you may want to start with something small—in order to see exactly what it is that you fear is going to happen. Give yourself a moment to notice whether there is a strong feeling of fear at the moment, or a very light hint of fear. It doesn’t matter which it is—simply observe and welcome it.

Whatever underlying fear you feel: Could you let go of wanting that to happen? Or Could you let go of expecting this to happen? Check how you feel inside. Wasn’t it easy to let go in that way? This process will help you clear out the hidden recesses of your subconscious mind. After you release something that you’ve subconsciously wanted to happen, you’ll see a tremendous difference in your life in many areas, including how you feel. Have fun experimenting with this shortcut on your own.

Now, ask yourself: Could I let go of wanting this to happen? Or Could I let go of expecting this to happen? The question may have made you laugh. “Oh, come on,” you said. “I don’t actually want this to happen!” Well, try asking the question again, and notice what else you discover. In fact, if you go back to that same thing now, you may already be able to discern a difference. So, focus on that same thing you’re afraid of, or on something else, and we’ll go through a series of questions for releasing fear in this simple way.

Add this little trick to your toolbox of Sedona Method applications and enjoy the results. It’s great for those occasions when fearful thoughts arise in your consciousness, but you don’t have enough time to do an in-depth process. Whenever you become aware of yourself thinking about an unwanted outcome, simply let go of wanting it to happen by asking yourself the question: “Could I let go of wanting this to happen?”

What is it that you’re afraid will happen? What is it you do not want to have happen?

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As you use the Method, you will find over time that the very situations and experiences that you used to find the most exhausting or disturbing will become less and less so, until you may even forget that you used to have those kinds of experiences. Join the tens of thousands of people just like you who have radically changed their lives for the better with the Sedona Method. Note: Do not self-diagnose. Anxiety or fear symptoms can mimic a number of physical illnesses, and it is important that a medical assessment, including clinical tests and diagnosis, are made by your treating doctor/specialist. If you are using any medications for your anxiety, please consult with your physician before changing or discontinuing their use.

“The Sedona Method freed me from over 40 years of psychological pain that was the result of a severe case of anxiety disorder. Approximately 18 months after I began using the audio program, my paralyzing fears were nearly extinguished! I did not believe this was possible. I am so grateful for the Sedona Method and the wonderful life I am now able to enjoy.” Robert Duncanson, Los Angeles, CA

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Releasing and Goals

a world of opportunity that has always existed for you becomes obvious and easily available to you.

“This is a powerful and profound way of achieving immediate and lasting improvements and breakthroughs in your personal and business life. Incredibly effective!” Brian Tracy, author of Deals!

KEYS TO WRITING EFFECTIVE GOALS Wording a goal correctly can make all the difference in whether you achieve it or not. In fact, simply writing down your goals is one of the keys to achieving them. Studies of groups of successful, goal-oriented people have shown that people who write down their goals are approximately 80% more likely to achieve them than people who just think about them.

The following contains edited excerpts from The Sedona Method Course. This course contains all the best of the latest advances in goal setting, as well as lots of new material previously available only through our advanced courses. These excerpts will help you to start to actually achieve your goals.

Phrase your goal in the now. THE MYTH OF WORKING HARDER

Most of us fall into the trap of thinking that we're going to create what we want in the future. And the future never seems to come. How many times have you said to yourself, "I'll do that tomorrow," and you didn't do it?

Society has perpetuated the myth that to get anywhere in life you have to work hard. My question for you is, "Have you ever worked hard?"

Whenever you're holding in mind, "I'm going to do this later, or tomorrow, or next week, or next year," you project your goal into the future and the future never seems to come.

Your answer is probably the same as most people: "Yes!" Well, has it produced the results you want in life?

Phrase it in the positive.

If you are like most people, you answered: "No. No it hasn't. I'm tired, frustrated, angry, and just don't believe I can get what I really want."

Focus on the solution. Avoid putting in the goal that problem which you're trying to get rid of. For instance, what if you would like to stop smoking? The goal would not be phrased, "I allow myself to stop smoking." The mind does not translate the words "not," "don't," "stop," or any of the other words of negation.

Is the answer to work even harder? Is the answer to create even more stress in your life by taking bigger risks and spreading yourself even thinner? I don’t think so!

The mind thinks in pictures. Right now, try not to think of a white elephant.

“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.”

What do you think of?

If this is true, and I'm sure at least some part of you recognizes that it is, then why do we continue to fall into the trap of thinking, "If only I worked harder I'd have everything I want"?

A white elephant! Put something in the goal that the mind can visualize. For example, "I allow myself to be a non-smoker." You can picture being a non-smoker. That's something you can see: other people who aren't smoking. So it makes a big difference to word your goals in this manner.

Would you rather work harder or would you rather just have what you want? It's an easy question for most of us to answer!

The goal should feel real or realistic.

Setting and achieving goals can be effortless when you "let go" of the feelings that are holding you back from achieving them. When you do this, www.sedona.com

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Suppose you are making $1,000 a week, but what you would really like to earn is $10,000 a week. Upping your income from $1,000 to $10,000 might be too big a jump for you to accept in just one specific goal. So you might want to start with $2,500 a week. That's a stretch from where you are, but it may seem more real or realistic to you.

One area where you could get yourself into trouble is in the area of relationships. If you make a goal stating: "I allow Mary (or Joe) to love me," that could get you into trouble. First of all, you'll be running around doing all these things to try to get them to love you. And what if they are not even the right person for you?

The more you make your goals attainable, that is, something that the mind can accept as at least a possibility, the more likely you will be able to release any obstacle you have within you to achieving the goal.

This could tend to get you really stuck. Whereas if you phrased your goal, "I allow myself to have a loving relationship," then the goal is more open and inclusive. It might be with the person you're having a relationship with now, or it might not.

Include yourself in the goal statement.

Eliminate the word "want" from your goals.

In other words, if you want to clean your house, you might want to phrase your goal as, "I allow myself to clean my house," as opposed to, "The house is clean." If you say, "The house is clean," you might not believe it. You might also start waiting for a miracle to happen so that the house gets clean by itself. If you've had tremendous resistance to cleaning your house and then you release on this goal, "I allow myself to easily clean the house," you may just find yourself easily cleaning the house.

We talk in detail about how 'wanting' prevents 'having' in the audio course. But in general, would you rather want to have a lot of money, or would you rather just have it? Would you rather want the perfect relationship, or would you rather have the perfect relationship? Would you rather want good health, or would you rather have good health? "Want" equates to the feeling of lack, so avoid putting the feeling of lack in the goal. Phrase your goal so that you're focusing on the end result, not your means of achieving it.

Be precise and concise.

For instance, go back to the earlier example of having a net income of $2,500 a week. Don't put how you're going to get it. I've heard people word goals like this: "I allow myself to make $2,500 a week by working 18 hours a day, 6 days a week," and a whole list of other actions that they thought they needed to take in order to achieve their goal.

Use as few words as possible, while at the same time making sure you are enthusiastic when you hear the goal. In other words, you don't want to put everything but the kitchen sink in one goal. Years ago, there was a man in a class who set up a goal, "I allow myself to have an abundant income so that I can have a new car, a house in the country, the maids to take care of the second house, and the perfect woman to have a relationship with to share all this."

What you will discover is that very often the actions you think you need to take in order to get the goal have absolutely nothing to do with the goal. They are only limitations or artificial obstacles that you're putting in your way. Also you'll notice as we work on goals that we'll specifically release on the action steps that you can take in order to get the goal. Always allow for the unexpected. What if someone gives you a large amount of money? What if you win the lottery? There are so many things that could happen to allow that goal to come into your awareness.

As you can see there are several goals in that one goal, and they are all pulling in different directions. So the instructor helped this person simplify the goal by helping him break it down into specific individual goals. Then they created an umbrella goal that was appropriate for the whole situation, which was, "I allow myself to have the good things in life and enjoy them." See how that includes everything? It doesn't cause you to pull into all sorts of conflicting directions.

Word it in either courageousness, or acceptance, or peace.

Make sure you word it to facilitate letting go.

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"I allow myself to..." or "I can..." is a good way to start a goal in courageousness. "I have... " is a good way to start a goal in acceptance. And "I am..." is a good way to start a goal in peace. We've talked a lot about the "I allow myself to…" phrasing, which is a very good way of wording a goal. If you're not in courageousness about a particular topic, getting into courageousness is already a great step forward. And you can always reword the goal later to raise the energy even higher to acceptance or peace. Allow the mind to start using its creativity to start generating possibilities of how this goal can happen.

ONCE YOU HAVE WORDED YOUR GOAL Simply write your goal at the top of a clean piece of paper. Then allow yourself to explore letting go of your inner obstacles to achieving it by reading the goal silently to yourself and then writing down underneath the goal the first thought or feeling that comes to mind. Next allow yourself to use the simple releasing questions from “Letting Go Basics”: “Could I let this feeling go?” “Would I let it go?” “When?” Remember you are simply letting go of the feelings that are preventing you from achieving your goal, not the goal itself. Also, allow yourself to answer these questions with an open mind and heart and as truthfully as possible. Keep letting go using these questions until you feel better. Then repeat this process until you fill more positively about your goal. If you experiment with this way of working on your goals for even a short period of time I promise the results you will achieve can be truly miraculous.

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her that, during the week in between, she try the little trick I described above: to let herself eat whatever she wanted as long as she released first. This helped her have a breakthrough.

A Powerful Way of Breaking the Habit of Overeating

About two days later, she went out and had the first hot fudge sundae she’d had in years, and she actually enjoyed it and felt satisfied. However, because she was releasing before she reached for the food every time she ate that week, she lost five pounds in only five days. Within about six months, she had lost 20 pounds. It is now many years later, and the last time I saw her she was still maintaining her ideal weight.

Imagine that you have a tendency to eat an extra dessert or snack after dinner, or to eat dessert and snacks more often than you should. In this situation a lot of us would decide, “Oh, I’m not going to eat dessert anymore.” That stringent commitment may last a couple of days, or, if we’re really strong, a couple of weeks, and then we’re back eating desserts again—maybe even more than before.

If it’s possible for this actress and the thousands of other people who have used this technique effectively, it’s possible for you. And it’s not complicated. Rather than trying to fix or change your habit, make a pact with yourself that the next time you want to reach for a dessert, a snack or a food that is not part of your dietary regimen, you can—if you still want to after you release. You will notice that the habit will fall away gradually, or very quickly. I’ve literally seen thousands of people lose weight easily this way. So, experiment with it on your own, and you’ll see that it’s a very effective way of achieving or maintaining your ideal weight.

Here is another way to approach the dilemma when you’re interested in having a dessert. Rather than saying, “I’m never going to do it again,” make a pact with yourself: “Look. You can have it if you want it, but release first.” The reason to release first is that all habit patterns are locked in by patterns of feeling. Certain feelings come up in our awareness, and the way we compensate for them is by taking a particular action, such as overeating. So when you release, you let go of the underlying cause or motivation for that particular habit. To go back to our example, let’s say you’re interested in having a piece of pie. If you tell yourself you can’t have it, you just get into a push-pull situation. You miss it, and then obsess over your missed piece of pie. You feel deprived. You do the boy-would-a-piece-of-pie-taste-good mantra— holding your desire in mind—and this merely builds up inner pressure. Then you end up having the pie anyway, or two days later you break down and eat two pieces of pie instead of the original one. But if you first release whatever feeling is making you feel like you need to eat the pie, and then you let yourself have it if you still want it, it’s easier. This creates the space to get into releasing around the habit, and you’ll soon notice the habit drop away.

CHOOSING TO LET GO OR RELEASE Make yourself comfortable and focus inwardly. Your eyes may be open or closed. Step 1: Focus on an issue that you would like to feel better about, and then allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling in this moment. This doesn’t have to be a strong feeling. Just welcome the feeling and allow it to be as fully or as best you can.

An actress I know thought it was very important for obvious reasons because of her trade to be a certain weight. At the time of this story, she’d been trying to lose 20 pounds for over 20 years and could never reach what she considered her ideal size. She tried every diet imaginable. She exercised like a fiend. In fact, she was running so much that she destroyed her knees and couldn’t run anymore. She had to find another aerobic exercise to do. We used to teach the Sedona Method over two weekends (now we teach it over one weekend) and the instructor suggested to www.sedona.com

This instruction may seem simplistic, but it needs to be. Most of us live in our thoughts, pictures, and stories about the past and the future, rather than being aware of how we actually feel in this moment. The only time that we can actually do anything about the way we feel (and, for that matter, about our businesses or our lives) is NOW. You don’t need to wait for a feeling to be strong before you let it go. In fact, if you are feeling numb, flat, blank, cut off, or empty inside, those are feelings that can be let go of

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This is an invitation to just let it go now. You may find yourself easily letting go. Remember that letting go is a decision you can make any time you choose.

just as easily as the more recognizable ones. Simply do the best you can. The more you work with this process, the easier it will be for you to identify what you are feeling. Step 2:

MOVING BEYOND GUILT AND SHAME

Ask yourself any one of the following three questions:

One of the ways that we unwittingly sabotage our success while dieting or while trying to achieve and maintain our ideal weight is with the feelings of guilt and shame. Most of us have guilt and shame associated with how our bodies look and what we eat or do not eat. In fact most people feel some guilt at every meal even if they are eating what most people would agree is healthy, weight maintaining or even slimming foods.

“Could I let this feeling go? “ “Could I allow this feeling to be here? “ “Could I welcome this feeling? “ These questions are merely asking you if it is possible to take this action. “Yes” or “no” are both acceptable answers. You will often let go even if you say “no.” As best you can, answer the question that you choose with a minimum of thought, staying away from second-guessing yourself or getting into an internal debate about the merits of that action or its consequences.

We believe that guilt can protect us from being punished. In fact, guilt is an unconscious “I owe you” for punishment. When we feel guilty, we attract punishment from the world, and create it for ourselves. Here’s the kicker: when we make a mistake, or do something wrong, no matter what level of guilt we inflict upon ourselves, we will never feel as though we’ve been sufficiently punished.

All the questions used in this process are deliberately simple. They are not important in and of themselves but are designed to point you to the experience of letting go, to the experience of stopping holding on. Go on to Step 3 no matter how you answered the first question.

How does self-punishment arise? First we do something, or think of doing something, that we believe we shouldn’t do, or is wrong to do. Interestingly, we often feel guilty even when we haven’t followed through with an external action. Whether or not we get away with it in the eyes of the world, our minds won’t let us off the hook. Because we believe that punishment is inevitable, we punish ourselves harshly in the false hope that it will cancel any further punishments.

Step 3: No matter which question you started with, ask yourself this simple question: “Would I?” In other words: Am I willing to let go?

Another misconception about guilt is that the feeling somehow prevents us from repeating our “wrong” actions. But haven’t you—or someone you’ve known—ever done, said, or thought anything that you felt guilty about more than once? Of course you have! We all have. Guilt frequently triggers us to do, or to continue doing, the exact same things that we believe we’ve already done wrong—again as selfinflicted punishment. Guilt is one of the main causes of actions that we later regret.

Again, stay away from debate as best you can. Also remember that you are always doing this process for yourself—for the purpose of gaining your own freedom and clarity. It doesn’t matter whether the feeling is justified, longstanding, or right. If the answer is “no,” or if you are not sure, ask yourself: “Would I rather have this feeling, or would I rather be free?” Even if the answer is still “no,” go on to Step 4.

Consider the following: you’re on a diet to lose weight. You slip and have a cookie or a bowl of ice cream, and you feel guilty about it. So, what do you do? You punish yourself by having another cookie or another scoop of ice cream. Now you feel even

Step 4: Ask yourself this simpler question: “When?”

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now. Take a moment to check within yourself and find out if you are open to the possibility that releasing your emotions can improve your physical health and help you achieve and maintain your ideal body weight. If you are, great! Simply read on. If you are not open—if there is any doubt in your mind at all—allow yourself to feel the feeling you are having and then ask yourself, “Could I let this feeling go? Would I? When?"

guiltier. Pretty soon, as an escalating punishment for your indiscretion, you finish the entire bag of cookies or pint of ice cream. And you probably don’t allow yourself to enjoy even one bite. Sound familiar?

YOU CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF GUILT BY DECIDING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PUNISHED ENOUGH

Believe it or not, this step can make an enormous impact on your releasing process, as it cuts through resistance like a warm knife through butter. I have seen people let go of long-standing issues just in the process of accepting that it was possible.

A powerful way to release guilt and shame is to decide that you have been punished enough, and then let go of wanting to punish yourself. You can use these questions: “Could I allow myself to decide that I have been punished enough?”

LOVE YOURSELF AS YOU ARE

”Could I let go of wanting to punish myself?” When you see that you are giving yourself a hard time for your current weight or any physical problem, do this brief exercise.

“Could I stop planning to punish myself again in the future?”

First, notice the disapproval, and then simply ask yourself: “Could I let go of disapproving of myself?”

Do your best to get to a “yes” to any of these questions. Simply by deciding that you have been punished enough can produce truly profound results.

Then, let go of disapproving of yourself as best you can. Continue until you have released your disapproval. Afterwards, take the process a step further by giving yourself approval for no reason.

One way of loosening up is to give yourself approval for no reason whatsoever. When we feel guilt and are punishing ourselves, we are withholding approval or love from ourselves. If you get in the habit of loving or approving of yourself for no reason whatsoever this will help loosen the stranglehold of guilt and shame and allow you to live and love freely.

When you catch yourself disapproving of the part of your body that is causing you distress, ask yourself: “Could I let go of disapproving of my_____________ (body part)?” Then, shower the body part with as much love as you can in that moment. This extremely simple technique works wonders, I assure you.

BE OPEN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR BODY

The more you let go of disapproving of yourself and your body, and the more you get in the habit of giving yourself approval for no reason, the happier and more alive you will feel—which will also definitely help you in any achieving and maintaining your ideal weight and supporting your healing process.

Be as open as you can to the possibility that shifting your thoughts and emotions can bring about positive shifts on a physical level even with long-standing weight issues. Such results are well documented. In other words: To change your body, change your mind.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. They are just some of what is available to you through using the Sedona Method.

Before I work with anyone on a physical issue in one of our classes, the first thing I do is check whether they’re open to this possibility, or whether they have doubts about it. I recommend that you do the same www.sedona.com

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The completion question in this series is to ask yourself: "Could I let go of wanting to believe I have that problem again?" And then do your best to let it go.

What if All Your Problems Are Just Memories?

If there is still some clinging to the memory of the problem in this moment, then repeat the steps from the beginning until you can fully let go. As you work with this perspective more and more, you will find it easier and easier to let go of even what you used to believe were long-standing problems.

One of the most powerful perspectives we have been exploring in our courses is that there are no problems in this present moment. I know that may be hard to accept, but what if all the supposed problems you have right now are just memories?

If you use this simple direct application of the Method, I promise you the results will surprise and delight you.

I challenge you to explore this question for yourself and at least entertain the possibility that problems are just memories. I promise that if you even just accept this partially and work with it as best you can the way it is outlined in this article, your life will radically transform for the better.

FREEING YOURSELF FROM HOOKS

The reason that problems appear to persist through time is that whenever they are not here in this moment we look for them. We actually seek our problems. We filter our experience based on the belief that we have a particular problem and unconsciously censor out anything in our experience that does not support that belief, including the fact that it is not here now.

There are several hooks in most of us that may prevent us from being able to use this or any other helpful releasing perspective. Let's explore some of these hooks so that we can be free of them.

Think of a problem that you used to believe you had. I purposely phrased this question in the past tense. If you are having a hard time accepting it as from the past, allow yourself to include the last moment as part of the past. Most of us think of the past as at least yesterday, last year or years ago. For the sake of understanding what I am suggesting, please allow yourself to view the past as anything that is not happening at this moment.

Strange as it may seem, this quote reflects the way most of us live our lives. We identify with our problems and the self-created suffering that we experience in relationship to believing we are the one with these problems. If you reflect on "your" problems you will discover that you have grown so attached to these patterns of thought and behavior that you will probably find it hard to imagine yourself without them. We cling to the artificial sense of security that comes from knowing what to expect, even if that expectation is not beneficial, rather than being open to the uncertainty that comes from letting go.

"I suffer, therefore I am."

Now, allow yourself to ask yourself this question: "Could I allow myself to remember how I used to believe I had this problem?" This shift in consciousness may make you laugh, it may make you tingle inside, or it may simply open the possibility in your awareness that yes, even this is just a memory.

It does not have to be that way. Think of a problem that you used to believe belonged to you, and ask yourself: "Would I rather have the false sense of security that comes from knowing all about this problem or would I rather be free?" If you would rather be free, you will find yourself spontaneously starting to let go of your attachment to having this problem and you will find yourself discovering natural solutions as opposed to

Next ask yourself: "Would I like to change that from the past?" If the answer is "yes," ask yourself: "Could I let go of wanting to change that from the past?" And let go as best you can. If the answer is "no," just go on to the next step.

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justifying your having or being stuck with this problem.

It's not wise to ask why. Wanting to understand or figure out why or from where our problems arise can also be a major obstacle to letting them go. "Would you rather understand your problems or just be free of them?" If you would rather be free of them, I would highly recommend that you let go of wanting to figure them out. In order to figure out a problem, we must leave the present moment the only place we can truly solve anything. Plus, we only need to understand a problem if we are planning to have it again or maintain it.

But what will I talk about? Most of us base a significant amount of our personal communications around seeking sympathy for our problems or commiserating with others about theirs. It is not that sharing your problems is detrimental. In fact, the freedom to share with others what is bothering you is often the first step in letting go and moving on. Also, being able to be there for our friends and partners when they are in emotional need is a sign of being a good friend.

LOOK FOR THE FREEDOM THAT IS HERE AND NOW

Where we get stuck is when we continually share the same problem over and over again and there seems to be no relief. If you find yourself telling the same story more than once, check to see if you are seeking agreement or approval for the problem. If you are, ask yourself: "Could I let go of wanting others to agree with me about my having this problem?" or "Could I let go of wanting approval for this problem?"

No matter where your consciousness has gotten hooked in the past, in addition to releasing on it directly, develop the habit of looking for its opposite. Most of us have gotten very good at finding problems or finding limitation. We have gotten so good at this quest for limitation because of our habit of looking for our problems when they are not here. The freedom that we are is always closer than our next thought. The reason we miss our inherent freedom is that we jump from thought to thought, from familiar perception to familiar perception, missing the freedom that is here and now.

It's mine, that's why. Pride is a shifty emotion. We don't just feel proud of our accomplishments. One of the places that we can get really hooked into the memories that we used to believe were our problems is being subtly proud of having them. We subtly feel so special for having them. It may take the form of feeling proud of having prevailed even with the problem, having borne it for so long or having a problem that is unique to just you.

Even when you are working on a particular problem, allow yourself to look for where the problem isn't. Look for how even your worst problem is not always with you now. If you start becoming aware of your basic nature of unbound freedom, you will find that this awareness will put all of your supposed problems into perspective and allow you to live this freedom now.

Look at the problems that you used to believe you had and check to see if you feel that they make you special. Look for any pride. If there is any pride and you can honestly admit that to yourself and let it go, you will find that it will free you to just let go of the problem.

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about how great it was going to be to make sales, and just went about the business of making sales, I closed many more deals.

Gain Lasting Financial Security

Salespersons, marketers, entrepreneurs, and managers are very prone to head banking. However, they are definitely not the only ones. Another notorious place many people tend to slip into head banking is in the area of investing.

“A breakthrough... in terms of realizing your goals and dreams and living a life that is richer, more meaningful and much more enjoyable. And all without having to work so damn hard at it!” Robert Kriegel, Ph.D., NY Times best-selling author of If it Ain't Broke—Break it! and How to Succeed in Business Without Having to Work so Damn Hard

You may have heard an expression referring to investing: “The bulls and the bears make money, but the pigs get slaughtered.” A secret lies behind this maxim, with which you may have direct experience. Most investment decisions are emotionally based, as opposed to being based on solid facts and clear intuition. Unsuccessful investors, and even some successful ones, often begin counting their gains and losses before a transaction is actually closed. They count their paper profits and spend them mentally before the actual results come in. They also tend to stay in a transaction longer than they should, because it might get better. Both of these actions are due to lust and its inherent substitution of fantasy for what is. If you are this type of investor, you can let go of your lust instantaneously by asking yourself even the basic releasing questions:

Would you like to make more money? Have you tried to change your attitude in order to have more abundance? Have you tried other programs for making money only to be disappointed? Are you ready for a program for making more money that really works? If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, you are ready to unlock your true power to have all you choose with the Sedona Method.

“Could I let this feeling go?” “Would I let this go?”

OUR FEELINGS CREATE OUR THOUGHTS

“When?”

Have you ever noticed that two people with the same background and training, in the same field, often perform very differently?

As you do, you’ll make wiser investment decisions. Fear is also part of the problem of emotional investing. People often don’t act on what they intuitively know is correct in the market, because they’re afraid of making mistakes. Or fear paralyzes them and prevents them from taking their profits or cutting their losses. So, if you find that you are getting caught in fear-based investing, allow yourself to let it go directly, or see it as one of the wants and let it go in that way.

Why? It is because of their attitude. Our feelings create our thoughts, and our thoughts either put us into action or prevent us from acting.

BANK IN THE BANK, NOT IN YOUR HEAD

A third big way that many investors fool themselves into believing that they are more in control than they are is to call the moves after the fact and tell themselves that they knew what was going to happen. They can often be much better “paper traders” than real ones. They make the wrong decisions when they are actually using cash. Again,

Lust is an emotional state in which we hold ourselves back from having what we want, often without even realizing it. When I was selling real estate, I was “head banking” instead of banking in the bank. When I ultimately allowed myself to let go of the lust that was causing me to fantasize www.sedona.com

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it’s the emotions coloring our perceptions that cause us to do things we regret later.

"I honestly believe that it is no coincidence that halfway through your recordings I enjoyed a 'miracle' that made me a millionaire overnight—literally." Robert Dial

If you allow yourself to release before you enter or leave a business deal or stock transaction, you will find that your timing improves. If you also let go before you act when you have a hunch, you will be able to tell the difference between intuition and fear or greed. The more you use the Method in your investment activities, the more you will find yourself following fact instead of fancy, and intuition rather than lust and fear.

"A very powerful business tool, especially when negotiating from a position of 'weakness.' It dissolves resistance, is mutually respectful and great fun to use! I have never encountered a technique so easy, so all-encompassing, and yet so utterly simple to apply." Ben Jansz

The Sedona Method helps you to easily break the patterns of thought and behavior that cause your self-sabotage to reoccur and prevent you from having what you want, including financial security. The Sedona Method also contains some very powerful tools for making decisions and achieving goals. As you use your natural ability to release, you'll create a solid, positive mental attitude that will help you succeed where others might fail, even in today's rapidly changing economic times.

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to receiving it. If you’re in any kind of an intimate relationship—with a life partner, friend, or family member—and you can reach the point where you simply love the other person as he or she is, as best you can, then both of you can relax and be authentic with each other. This promotes much healthier, more satisfactory interactions.

Your Key To Lasting, Loving And Healthy Relationships “In The Sedona Method, Hale Dwoskin provides us with a practical, wise and proven formula for emotional and mental freedom to experience the joy and pleasure of simply being alive.” John Gray, Ph.D., author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

There are a few important keys to improving relationships that are often overlooked. One is mutuality. If you are doing something internally or externally that is not mutual with your partner, it will only frustrate you both. Here is a simple example taken from my relationship with my wife. I used to enjoy only seeing “guy flicks,” and Amy only wanted to see “chick flicks.” It caused a dilemma with our TV watching and movie-going. Instead of trying to impose our will on each other, or assuming that one of us had to sacrifice for the other, which wouldn’t have been a mutual solution, we openly discussed the issue, released our feelings about it, and began to identify movies that we both could enjoy. In fact, because we released to gain mutuality, we both are now more open to the other’s tastes in movies and rarely disagree about our choices. When we do disagree, we simply go to see the movie our partner chose, if we feel mutual, or we go alone or with another friend. Either way, we’re both a lot happier. I even enjoy most chick flicks now as much as I enjoy guy flicks. Amy likewise enjoys some guy flicks.

Have you ever wondered why some intimate relationships work and others don’t? Why so many of us seem to have the same relationships with a series of different people? Why some people can easily find a mate while others struggle? The answer to these and other frequently asked questions are contained in this mini-course on intimate relationships. The exercises, perspectives, and processes in this chapter can and will accelerate the process of you uncovering and living your natural loving nature.

STOP LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES The explanation for most vexing relationship questions is actually quite simple. The majority of our relationships, as well as our patterns of relating in general, are based on need rather than love. This is probably no surprise to you. However, it may surprise you that there is something you can do about it.

To be truly nurturing and supportive, love must also come without strings. The more you can give of yourself and give your caring without wanting anything in return, the happier you will be. Instead, what most of us do in relationship is barter. “I’ll do this for you, if you do that for me.” In commerce, bartering can be great; however, true love is much more than a business deal.

Most of us are on a quest for love that amounts to trying to fill a leaky cup. Every time we appear to get love from an external source, especially from another person, it merely reinforces the belief that love can be found outside us. So, the feeling of receiving love or approval inherently has “leakage.” Common leaks include the fear of losing love, resentment towards the people we feel we need to get it from, and the simple act of looking away from the love that we, by nature, already are.

True love or caring should always be supportive of both partners. If one is giving to the other at personal expense, it is not giving. Such situations can turn codependent or even abusive. So, when you give, make sure you’re giving something that is wanted as well as something that you also enjoy giving. Now, this doesn’t mean that you must always do what the other partner wants; neither does it mean that you must only do what you want. It means that you allow yourselves to explore ways of relating that are mutually beneficial.

Good news. You can turn each of these dilemmas around simply by letting go of wanting love or approval. You can also hasten the process by looking for mutual ways to love—as opposed to getting it—and mutual ways to give love, in addition www.sedona.com

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Let me describe how this has worked in my marriage. As I mentioned, we all tend to create inner lists of what our partner has done wrong or has done to offend us. We then expect our partner to keep making the same mistake, and we, of course, get to be right when they do it again. After a while, it becomes more important to us to cling to the false security of being right than to nurture the love that attracted our partner to us in the first place. The difference between this pattern, which most of us fall into, and the “honeymoon” stage of a relationship in which our partner seems to do no wrong is simply what we are focusing on and expecting.

WHAT IF YOUR PARTNER IS ALREADY PERFECT? If you’ve ever been in a romantic relationship, you probably experienced what most people call the “honeymoon phase.” Unless your relationship is brand-new, the kind of love, caring, and enjoyment that you experienced during that phase is probably only a memory by now. So, what’s the difference between what you may be longingly looking back to as your honeymoon and what you are experiencing now? Simple: in the beginning of the relationship, you loved and accepted your partner as your partner was. You may even have loved your partner because he or she was a certain way, even if that way—or those certain qualities—now drives you crazy.

What’s happened over the past eleven years of being with my wife is that the lists of offenses and wrongs just keep dissolving. Yes, Amy has tendencies that I don’t like at times, and I have character traits that she doesn’t like, but neither one of us holds that against the other. We’re simply right in the moment with each other, finding ways to be with each other as we are now, releasing our hurts and expectations. We share unlimited possibilities for loving each other. I love Amy even more now than I did in the “honeymoon stage” of our relationship.

Where a relationship can sour is at a point when your partner says or does something, or behaves in a particular way that you inwardly refuse to accept. You then start resisting that particular behavior or trait, while at the same time expecting the person to exhibit it again. We start these informal internal lists of the things we want to change—or resist—about our partner, and then we start comparing everything they do to that internal list. If it matches, we add an inner check mark and resist it even more. Once we start this list, we are also constantly looking for items to add to it. This whole process usually spirals out of control and ends in separation, divorce, or in simply putting up with a relationship that is no longer supportive of both partners.

THE DISAGREEMENT DISSOLVER Several years ago, Amy and I facilitated a couples course at a resort in Jamaica. The following exercise was one of the more powerful tools we used there to help couples dissolve their disagreements and come to a place of greater mutuality. It is based on the principle of seeing an issue from the other person’s point of view, of “walking in your partner’s shoes.” When you get even a glimpse of your partner’s point of view in any particular disagreement, it becomes very difficult to maintain the conflict. The following exercise is a quick, fun way to do just that.

There is a simple way to break this pattern and extend your honeymoon for the rest of your lives. First of all, burn your list. Unless you’re determined to destroy your current relationship, continuing to add to and tweak your list is merely asking for trouble. Get into the habit of looking for what you can love and appreciate about your partner, rather than how they need to change or be fixed, and it will change the whole dynamic of your relationship. This is not a substitute for loving communication about things that your partner does that you would prefer he or she not do. Nor is it an excuse to allow your partner or you to continue indulging in obviously destructive behaviors. It is merely a way to start to tip the balance back to the way it was when you were enjoying your honeymoon.

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The guidelines for this exercise are simple. Do it full out, without censoring, and without doing anything that is either physically or emotionally hurtful to your partner. Pick a topic that you both have been struggling with and would like to resolve. Step 1: Both partners argue full out for their own points of view. Do this with as much feeling and import as possible. However, there is one important qualifier: 20



you may only use the word “blah.” Do not use any other words. Simply argue the way you usually do—even exaggerate a little—yet avoid actual language. Keep arguing until you both feel you have gotten your point across to the best of your abilities. Then, take a few moments to release whatever this activity has stirred up before going to Step 2. Step 2: Now, both partners argue each other’s points of view. This time use words and allow yourself to step into your partner’s shoes as much as possible. Argue as thoroughly for your partner’s point of view as you argued for your own. As best you can, feel and express your partner’s emotions—even use your partner’s mannerisms. Keep arguing like this until you have both run out of things to say. Then take a few moments to release whatever this activity has stirred up. Step 3: Share what you’ve discovered with your partner. Take as much time as you need to talk through and release together on any feelings, thoughts, insights, and beliefs that arose during this exercise. I promise that if you’re like the people who were on this couples course, the many others who have successfully worked with this exercise since then, and my wife and me, you’ll be amazed and delighted by the results you can achieve from doing this exercise whenever you are stuck in opposing points of view.

The Sedona Method will help you to pursue the relationship you desire, to create the fun, satisfying relationship you deserve. You will no longer be stopped by the fear and anxiety you may now feel when you think about approaching someone you are really attracted to. Plus, as you use the Sedona Method, you will find over time that all areas of your life radically improve, and you will find yourself easily uncovering your true, positive self knowing that you can easily have, be, and do all that you desire.

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actually protected you from being punished. Like the lies that most feelings tell us, you’ll usually find that your guilt produced the opposite effect. It caused you to punish yourself. And, if your actions involved others, most likely your guilt didn’t prevent you from getting punished. After all, if feeling guilty truly prevented external punishment, wouldn’t our prisons be a lot emptier?

Letting Go of Guilt and Shame STOP PUNISHING YOURSELF

A second lie perpetuated by guilt is that the feeling somehow prevents us from repeating our “wrong” actions. But haven’t you—or someone you’ve known—ever done, said, or thought anything that you felt guilty about more than once? Of course you have! We all have. Guilt frequently triggers us to do, or to continue doing, the exact same things that we believe we’ve already done wrong—again as selfinflicted punishment. Guilt is one of the main causes of actions that we later regret.

There are three major myths about guilt and shame that often severely limit our lives and make us miserable. The first and biggest lie is that guilt can protect us from being punished. In fact, guilt is an unconscious “I owe you” for punishment. When we feel guilty, we attract punishment from the world, and create it for ourselves. Here’s the kicker: when we make a mistake, or do something wrong, no matter what level of guilt we inflict upon ourselves, we will never feel as though we’ve been sufficiently punished.

Consider the following: you’re on a diet to lose weight. You slip and have a cookie or a bowl of ice cream, and you feel guilty about it. So, what do you do? You punish yourself by having another cookie or another scoop of ice cream. Now you feel even guiltier. Pretty soon, as an escalating punishment for your indiscretion, you finish the entire bag of cookies or pint of ice cream. And you probably don’t allow yourself to enjoy even one bite. Sound familiar? The diet industry thrives on this little-understood phenomenon that causes most dieters to fail.

How does self-punishment arise? First we do something, or think of doing something, that we believe we shouldn’t do, or is wrong to do. Interestingly, we often feel guilty even when we haven’t followed through with an external action. Whether or not we get away with it in the eyes of the world, our minds won’t let us off the hook. Because we believe that punishment is inevitable, we punish ourselves harshly in the false hope that it will cancel any further punishments.

The world is full of people atoning in various ways for sins that they have every intention—at least subconsciously, if not overtly—of doing again.

The first time I remember inflicting guilt-motivated punishment on myself was in pre-school after I got angry with a fellow student. I pushed him so hard that he slipped, fell and broke a glass. I felt so bad about having hurt him, and so afraid of what my teacher and parents might do to punish me, that I picked up a piece of the glass and cut myself. I inwardly hoped that the action would protect me from any impending repercussions. Of course it didn’t work. I was still reprimanded and received a punishment. It was so insignificant, however, that I can’t even recall what happened, except that I did get punished and had a cut on my hand for good measure.

I am not going to suggest that we all begin doing anything we want with reckless abandon, ignoring the guidelines of moral or disciplined behavior. However, since our feelings of guilt don’t stop most of us from doing things we later regret, we must free ourselves of guilt. When we willingly release our guilt and shame, the benefits are incredibly profound! We don’t need to spend all of our time and energy punishing ourselves. Freedom from guilt and shame means we are free to make better, healthier, more supportive choices.

Pause for a moment to consider anything you feel guilty about doing or not doing, saying or not saying, or even thinking or feeling. Make a point of noticing whether you have been punishing yourself and living in fear of an impending external punishment.

Guilt also plays a significant role in our lives if we were abused as children. When our parents, guardians, teachers, or spiritual leaders abuse us when we are young, it is difficult for us to accept that these people could do something so horribly wrong. When we are young, adults—especially influential ones like our parents—have a tremendous amount

When you think about the things that you’ve been feeling guilty about, check to see if your guilt has www.sedona.com

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of power. After all, they provide us with food and shelter and are supposed to protect us from the outside world. Since we cannot yet survive on our own, discovering their fallibility directly threatens our survival. We may elevate the adults in our lives to the status of gods, or at least representatives of God. Therefore, when abuse occurs, we seek to pin blame on the only other participant that we can find: ourselves. We do this as a distorted, imaginary form of self-protection.

"The most significant gain is that I have had longstanding anxiety and guilt complexes (for which I had tried psychotherapy, medication, meditation and hypnosis) clear up. Some of these have been with me for 20 years." James Wanner, Lancaster, PA

In Sedona Method courses, I’ve often worked with survivors of childhood abuse. Because survivors often blame themselves for what has happened, many have been feeling guilty and punishing themselves their whole lives for the mistakes made by the adults that they trusted. Once they release feelings of guilt, and stop blaming and punishing themselves for their abusers’ mistakes, they are able to free themselves of the emotional, mental, and visceral patterns of trauma and shame in which they’ve been locked.

DECIDE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN PUNISHED ENOUGH A powerful way to release guilt and shame is to decide that you have been punished enough, and then let go of wanting to punish yourself. You can use these questions: “Could I allow myself to decide that I have been punished enough?” “Could I let go of wanting to punish myself?” “Could I stop planning to punish myself again in the future? “ Do your best to get to a “yes” any of these questions. Simply by deciding that you have been punished enough can produce truly profound results. One way of loosening up is to give yourself approval for no reason whatsoever. When we feel guilt and are punishing ourselves, we are withholding approval or love from ourselves. If you get in the habit of loving or approving of yourself for no reason whatsoever, this will help loosen the strangle hold of guilt and shame and allow you to live and love freely. www.sedona.com

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Imagine that your subconscious mind is a barrel. This barrel has a golden lining representing our unlimited potential. This golden lining is covered by a bunch of rotten apples that represent our limiting emotions: our apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, pride. Even if you covered the golden lining over with good apples (happy thoughts and happy feelings), what would eventually happen to the apples? They would ROT.

Stop Positive Thinking “Hale Dwoskin has succeeded in presenting a masterful healing system with a treasure of practical examples for bringing it to life. The Sedona Method contains many jewels of illumination that can take your life to the next level. Practicing these principles can bring you home. Here is a rare and useful manual for awakening.” Alan Cohen, author of A Deep Breath of Life

I recommend emptying the barrel so you can discover the golden lining that is already present and available in your life at this very moment. You can’t see it because your apples, bad and good, have buried you under. Remove them by letting go of your limiting thoughts, feelings and beliefs and your thinking, feeling and life experience will be 1,000x more positive, with not a rotten apple in sight.

AN EASIER WAY TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE When I was in my early 20s, I was extremely shy. I couldn’t approach women, I had no idea how to properly introduce myself to strangers, let alone make small talk. I’d heard that positive affirmations and “happy thoughts” could bury my fears and help me build the confidence I needed. I was certain that if I told myself I was great in a crowd, I would be great in a crowd. So, for months on end, I walked around all day long repeating over and over in my head, “I am highly pleasing to myself in the presence of other people.” In the meantime, I forgot to stop repeating and start living.

A SIMPLE TOOL As you go through the following exercise, please keep this in mind. Feelings are just feelings; they are not you and they are not facts. However, we live life as though the opposite is true. It is even in our language! When we feel fear we do not usually say, “I feel afraid.” We usually say, "I am afraid." We are affirming to ourselves and to others that we are the fear— and we live as though that’s true. But this could not be further from the truth.

Instead of propelling my social life into the next dimension, my record-player thoughts played again and again in my head and I felt completely ridiculous! My quiet self-talk actually reminded me that I was SHY instead of helping me to overcome it. I didn’t need a positive self-talk mantra to overcome shyness. I didn’t need to pile more thoughts on top of the limiting thoughts I already had. I needed to LET GO of my shy thoughts. It was then that I learned the Sedona Method.

Allow yourself to experiment with the following simple questions. If you are open to the questions, you'll find that your negative thoughts and feelings melt away and are replaced by truly positive and uplifting ones. The next time you feel any unwanted thoughts or feelings, simply follow these simple steps:

I learned the Sedona Method quickly and easily and finally learned how to release the limiting thoughts and emotions that actually made me shy. I learned to LET GO of my shyness, permanently, and now I speak before large groups as part of my job!

Step 1: Focus on the feeling you're feeling in this moment. Just welcome the feeling and allow it to be, as fully or as best you can.

Positive thinking takes an immense amount of effort and, for most people, it doesn’t even work! It only covers the negative thoughts with positive ones and can still leave you crying on the inside. You’ve probably been around someone who smiles on the outside while screaming on the inside. It’s hard to be around those people; they send a real mixed message to others. www.sedona.com

Most of us live in our thoughts, pictures, and stories about the past and the future, rather than being aware of how we actually feel in this moment. The only time that we can do anything about the way we feel is NOW. The more you work with this process,

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noticeable. You may find that you have layers of feelings about a particular topic. However, what you let go of is gone for good.

the easier it will be for you to identify what you are feeling. Simply do the best you can. Step 2:

As you work with this simple process in your life you will find that with less effort you will have a more positive mental attitude and your life will reflect this. You will finally start to have, be or do what you have always desired.

Ask yourself following question: “Could I let this feeling go?” This question is merely asking you if it is possible to take this action. “Yes” or “no” are both acceptable answers. In fact, you'll often let go even if you say “no.” As best you can, answer this question with a minimum of thought, staying away from secondguessing yourself or getting into an internal debate about the merits of that action or its consequences. Go on to Step 3 no matter how you answered the first question. Step 3: Ask yourself this simple question: “Would I?” In other words: Am I willing to let go? Again, stay away from debate as best you can. Also remember that you are always doing this process for yourself for the purpose of gaining your own freedom and clarity. It doesn't matter whether the feeling is justified, long-standing, or right. If the answer is “no,” or if you are not sure, ask yourself: “Would I rather have this feeling or would I rather be happy and have what I want?” Even if the answer is still “no,” go on to Step 4. Step 4: Ask yourself this simpler question: “When?” This is an invitation to just let it go now. You may find yourself easily letting go. Remember that letting go is a decision that you can make any time you choose. If you want to hold onto the feeling, that is okay. But, simply recognize that it's your choice how long you want to hold on to the feeling. Step 5: Repeat the preceding four steps as often as needed until you feel free of that particular feeling. You will probably find yourself letting go a little more on each step of the process. The results at first may be quite subtle. Very quickly, if you are persistent, the results will get more and more www.sedona.com

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Holistic Releasing, a fourth technique for letting go, is based on the premise that everything we experience in life, whether real or imagined, arises in pairs or polarity or duality. If we have in, we also have out. If we have right, we also have wrong. If we have good, we also have bad. If we have pain, we also have pleasure.

Holistic Releasing “There is no pilgrimage more important than the one we undertake to explore ourselves. The Sedona Method is a valuable tool to help make our journey of self-discovery one that leads to powerful personal breakthroughs and new beginnings. Designed with wisdom, simplicity and compassion, it will offer you ways to live the life you've always dreamed of.” Barbara De Angelis, author of Real Moments and What Women Want Men To Know

Now this is quite obvious when we think of it this way: we live life as though we can hold onto the good and get rid of the bad—but we miss the inner truth. When we have tried to hold onto something good, it always slips away. Whenever we try to clutch to what we judge as good, or what we prefer, it tends to move through our awareness.

A FOURTH WAY TO RELEASE Now think about its converse. What happens when we resist or try to hold away what we don't like? That's right. It persists or gets even bigger.

Holistic Releasing is the latest advancement in the continuing improvement and development of the process that we call letting go or releasing.

So, in effect, what we've been doing is pulling what we don't like towards us and pushing what we do like away. We also spend a lot of time and energy magnifying the polarity by trying to keep what we like as far away as possible from what we don't like. All of this is creating the exact opposite effect: magnifying, or even creating what we call problems.

It is a powerful and effective way to deepen and open your understanding of the whole process of letting go. It's a way of having whatever you want in life. This process will help you to collapse, or dissolve, any sense of inner limitation you may be experiencing. As you work with this technique, your understanding of this process will deepen, and you'll find yourself spontaneously practicing this process. You will notice more possibilities and see more alternatives. You will feel more flexible, more open and much more capable of handling whatever life dishes out to you.

BRINGING TWO SIDES OF A POLARITY TOGETHER What we've discovered is that when you bring the two sides of a polarity together, it's like bringing matter and antimatter together, or positive and negative energy. They neutralize each other, and you're left with much greater freedom, greater presence, greater understanding.

In our live classes and on our audio courses we focus on three methods of letting go: 1. Letting go by choosing, or making a decision to just drop whatever we're holding onto in the present moment.

You see solutions, not problems. You feel more open, more alive and more at peace. As you work with this process, you'll discover that this effect magnifies over time. You'll start to see more possibilities and see things more clearly. Every time you work with this process, you'll get more out of it, more inner understanding.

2. Letting go by allowing whatever is to be in this moment, welcoming it fully, seeing it almost like the clouds that pass through the sky, needing no correction, no changing, no fixing.

Now the way we do this is very simple. We simply focus on both sides of the polarity by going back and forth. For instance, a very simple polarity has to do with happiness. Most of us are either feeling relatively happy or unhappy from moment to moment, and we see only one, not the other.

3. And the third way that we focus on letting go is by diving into the very core of whatever the feeling is. When we dive into the very core of any feeling, we discover that it's empty inside— or full of goodness—not the darkness that we assume will be there. www.sedona.com

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dissolved this sense of limitation. I hope you enjoyed this explanation of Holistic Releasing.

SO LET'S JUST DO A LITTLE EXPERIMENT Could you allow yourself to feel as unhappy as you do in this moment? And then could you allow yourself to feel as happy as you do in this moment? And as unhappy as you do in this moment? And as happy as you do in this moment? Just notice the feeling of being unhappy and the feeling of being happy, as much as you do right now. What you will notice is that we always have a feeling of unhappiness AND happiness! Yet we tend to focus on one end of the polarity, one feeling, while pretending the other doesn't exist for us. Try this with any feeling you have. What I suggest you do is continually go back and forth on the opposite sides of any particular polarity. Do it several times in a row. And what you'll notice happening inside—you may have even noticed it just in doing this exercise—is that the polarities dissolve each other.

YOU'RE LEFT WITH GREATER AND GREATER FREEDOM AND PRESENCE You may see the underlying unity beneath the duality and separation of the polarities. You may also experience it as an energetic shift. You may feel it as a dissolving or a clearing or a lightness. You may have greater clarity and understanding within your own self. The way to get the most out of this process is to merely stay as open as you can, moment to moment, as we go through it. Ask yourself the questions. You can repeat them to yourself as many times as you need to. Do your best to lead with your heart, with your feeling sense; try to do this by not doing anything at all, except to stay open on every level. Let it do you. The initial results from working with any polarity may be subtle. But as you work with it, the results will become more and more profound. And if you're persistent in working on any particular polarity, you'll reach a place of neutrality, or you'll reach a place of great expansion inside, as you've

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is, look around you. It has determined exactly what you now have. It is your demonstration!

Lester Levenson, the Inspiration Behind the Sedona Method

If you like it, you may hold it. If you don't, start changing your thinking. Concentrate it in the direction that you really want, until those thoughts become dominant over the subconscious thoughts; and when you begin to consciously demonstrate small things, you may then realize that the only reason why they are small is because you don't dare to think big.

"The Sedona Method is a wonderful contribution to the field of self-acceptance and transformation. This is like an accessible, western form of Buddhist teachings that can free our hearts and minds from our self-made limitations and the old stories we tell ourselves." Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening The Buddha Within and Letting Go Of The Person You Used To Be

The exact same rule or principle that applies to demonstrating a penny applies to demonstrating a million dollars. The mind sets the size.

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to be able to create anything they want in life? Lester Levenson was one of those people who was able to literally manifest what he needed, when he needed it. In this exciting passage from Happiness Is Free, Lester shares the basis for how we create our life simply by the thoughts we think.

ANYONE WHO CAN DEMONSTRATE A DOLLAR CAN DEMONSTRATE A MILLION DOLLARS Become aware of the way you are demonstrating a one-dollar bill and just increase it next time to a much larger amount. Take on the consciousness of the million, rather than the one-dollar bill.

". . .We should start with the first step, consciously controlling matter. Whether we are aware of it or not, everyone is controlling matter all the time. Whether one wants to be a demonstrator or not, he is. It is impossible not to be a creator all the time.

The material world is just an out-projecting of our minds into what we call the world and bodies. And when we realize that it is just an out-projecting of our minds, just a picture out there that we have created we can very easily change it, even instantly, by changing our thought!

Everyone is creating every day. We are not aware of it, because we just don't look at it. We have demonstrated or created everything we have! Every thought, every single thought, materializes in the physical world. It's impossible to have a thought that will not materialize (except that we reverse it).

So, to repeat: everyone is demonstrating, creating, every moment what he or she is thinking. You have no choice. You are a creator, so long as you have a mind and you think. Now, to get beyond creation, we must go beyond the mind. Just beyond the mind is the realm of perfection where there is no need for creating. There is a higher state than creation. It's the state of Beingness, sometimes called awareness or consciousness. That state is just behind the mind. That's beyond creation.

If we think the opposite right after we have a thought, with equal strength, we neutralize it. But any thought not reversed or neutralized will materialize in the future, if not immediately. So this thing of demonstration that we are all trying so hard to accomplish, we are doing all the time, unconscious of the fact that we're doing it. All we need to do is to direct it consciously, and that we call demonstration.

The mind finds it very difficult to imagine what it's like beyond creation, because the mind is involved constantly in creating. It's the creating instrument of the universe and everything that happens in the world. So, if you take this thing called mind, which instrument is only a creator, and try to imagine what it is like beyond creation, it's impossible. The mind will never know God or your Self, because you have to go just above the mind to know God, your Self.

Everything that everyone has in life is a demonstration. It couldn't come into our experience had we not had a thought of it at some time prior. If you want to know what your sum total thinkingness

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To know the infinite Being that you are, to know what it's like beyond creation, you must transcend the mind. The final state is beyond creation. It is the changeless state. In creation, everything is constantly changing, and therefore the ultimate Truth cannot be there. So, to demonstrate what one wants, one needs to become aware of the fact that all we need to do is to think only of the things that we do want, and that is all that we would get, if we would do just that. Think only of the things you want, and that's what you'll be getting all the time, because the mind is only creative. Simple, isn't it? Also, take credit for creating all the things that you don't like. Just say, "Look what I did." Because when you become aware that you've created things that you don't like, you're in the position of creator, and if you don't like it, all you have to do is to reverse it, and then you'll like it. (Lester did not believe this applies to affecting the outcome of another's life or circumstances). After you can master matter by consciously creating that which you want, then master your mind and get beyond it. Any questions?

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You will also receive 3 bonus recordings that are mini-courses on the following topics: Financial Freedom; Appearance, Health and Well-being; and Relationships. Our audio course has a 45day money back guarantee.

The Next Step We hope you have enjoyed this Insider’s Guide to the Sedona Method: Letting Go to Achieve Emotional Health and Mastery. If you would like to take the next step in your life toward achieving emotional health and mastery, we’d like to offer a few suggestions.

3. Attend a live Sedona Method training or seminar. Please go to: www.sedona.com and look under “Live Events” for an up-to-date listing. Take control of your life today. With our guarantee, you have nothing to lose except your pain, suffering and uncertainty, and everything to gain, including knowing that you can easily have, be, and do all that is essential and all that your heart truly desires.

When you perceive you are being held back by your negative thinking, simply ask yourself the easy-tolearn and easy-to-remember questions that make up the Sedona Method, and you will feel the tightness leaving your stomach, shoulders and chest. In its place, you will feel confidence, relaxation and clarity.

Now you can join the tens of thousands of people just like you who have radically changed their lives for the better with the Sedona Method.

You will no longer feel negative or out of control. You will feel more relaxed and able to handle whatever life throws at you more easily. The noise of your mind will subside, and you will have the clarity of mind to say and do what is appropriate and natural in order to master any life situation. If you decide you’d like to take the next step in achieving emotional health and mastery, the question to ask yourself is not: "Can I afford to invest in my ability to think and act calmly, clearly and decisively?” but, "Can I afford not to?" Make a profound difference in your life. 1. Order a Sedona Method Introductory CD or Tape, a 45-minute recording introducing you to the Sedona Method. This recording walks you through the basic processing of releasing and lets you hear how others have used the Sedona Method in their lives. It also includes a talk by the originator of the Sedona Method, Lester Levenson. This intro recording can make a profound difference in your life and in the lives of those that you care about. It will also help you to get the most out of this Insider’s Guide. All we ask is that you help cover the cost of shipping and handling. 2. Order The Sedona Method Audio Course. Use the links in this document to purchase The Sedona Method Audio Course and you will save over $50 discount off the retail price of $239. www.sedona.com

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The Sedona Method.pdf

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